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1. Give Women the Right to Breastfeed in Public Last week the Government’s Equality Bill was published in full and we are delighted to announce that it includes protection against discrimination for women who breastfeed in public. We need your urgent help to ensure that this part of the Bill gets as much support as possible. The Bill will be debated in Parliament on Monday 11th May and we need you to ask your MP to support the clause related to breastfeeding. You can send a pre-written email by clicking 2. Ask Your MP/MSP/AM to Sign the Manifesto for Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2009. Here is a template to help you out: Dear (WRITE THE NAME OF YOUR MP HERE), In light of Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2009 (Monday 11th - 15th May) I am writing to ask you, as my MP, to support the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition. The Breastfeeding Manifesto is supported by a Coalition of 40 organisations including UNICEF, Save the Children, the National Childbirth Trust, Best Beginnings, the 5 Royal Colleges, Friends of the Earth and The National Obesity Forum. In the UK 9 out of 10 women who had stopped breastfeeding by six weeks wished they could have breastfed for longer. That means that every year approximately 300,000 women stopped breastfeeding before they wished to. There are also huge health inequalities around breastfeeding with mothers from lower socio-economic groups being significantly less likely to initiate and sustain breastfeeding. The Breastfeeding Manifesto outlines seven objectives that, if implemented, could result in a dramatic uplift in the number of UK mothers who are able to make fully informed choices about how to feed their babies and receive proper support. As far as I am aware you have not, as yet, added your support to the Breastfeeding Manifesto. I am writing to ask to add your support to the list of over 250 MPs who support the Breastfeeding Manifesto. Please add your name by emailing Joan Reid: joan@breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk. If you no longer have your copy, you can read the Manifesto and find out more about its importance by visiting: www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk I therefore urge you again to add you support. Together, with your fellow parliamentarians you can make a real and lasting difference, for future generations. I look forward to hearing from you with your thoughts and feedback about the Manifesto and to learning whether you intend to add your support to it. Yours sincerely, (PLEASE ADD YOUR FULL NAME HERE) 3. Add Your Support Personally sign-up to the Manifesto and let Policy makers know how important this issue is. By signing-up you can choose to be kept in the loop about how things are progressing with the Manifesto and be informed of further ways in which you might wish to get involved. 4. Sign Up Sheets If you would like to take a Manifesto sign up sheet to a conference, event or to your friends and family please email joan@breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk The more sign-ups we have the more difference we can make. 5. Email Your Elected Representatives Crucially you can lobby your elected representative (AM, MLA, MEP, MP, MSP), to add their support to the Breastfeeding Manifesto. We have created the capability for you to email your representatives directly from this website: Click here to email your elected representative 6. Email Your Friends and Family Let them know how they can play their part. Spreading the word is crucial in any campaign. Click here to email friends, colleagues and family 7. Buy Manifesto Top These stylish tops have been modelled by Theo Walcott, England and Arsenal footballer. All funds to towards the work of the BMC. (If you are a Parliamentarian, please email joan@breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk to add your support to the Breastfeeding Manifesto.) |
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